Asamoah Gyan  captain of Ghana's senior national team the Black Stars has revealed that contrary to rumours that he asked to be substituted just before penalty shoot outs in the 2015 AFCON finals in Equitorial Guinea he was ready to partake.

Speaking to journalists in Port Gentil after Ghana's Group D opener against the Cranes of Uganda, the 31 year old insisted that he is always available to take penalty kicks for Ghana during shoot outs and did not ask to be taken off minutes before the final whistle in Equitorial Guinea two years ago.

According to him, it was the decision of the coach to take him off before the shoot outs against Ivory Coast and not his.

“I used to be the first choice for penalties but now there is someone taking it. I can say I am an expert penalty taker. I can take the penalty kicks when its gets to penalty shootouts in the game and I am on the pitch”.

”In 2015 AFCON finals, the coach changed me towards the end of the game but he is the coach and make the decisions. I didn’t ask to be changed , it was the coach that made the change. I heard people say I asked to be changed in order not to be part of the likely penalty shoot-outs but that’s not true.”

It can be recalled that the Al Ahli striker was put under public chastisement after he failed to slot in a 120th minute penalty kick against Uruguay in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

He was taken off minutes before the shoot-outs in the final game of the 2015 AFCON in which Ghana lost to Ivory Coast.

During the game against Uganda in Gabon, he was brought down in Uganda's penalty box but unsurprisingly left the responsibility of converting the setpiece to his deputy captain Andre Ayew.

The former Sunderland, Al Ain and Shangai SIPG striker still remains insistent that he will partake in penalty shoot outs for the Black Stars if he is on the pitch but is not likely to take up the responsibility during a game.

By Musah Abelyire/ghanaguardian.com